Having A/C means you DRIVE your car. Not driving your car is gold-chain. Sit in Austin afternoon traffic for 1.5 hours in August with me. I don't care if you're from Australia or Death Valley, you'll be frigging dying. Tarzan couldn't take that heat.
IMHO, Leaving the car parked in the garage because it's too uncomfortable is more "gold chainer" than making it comfortable enough to drive, and then actually driving it. With that in mind, if you want a/c, then install a/c. ...and drive it!
No, that's the cheap-ass moron way. Why does a "style" of hot rodder have to be associated with being able to drive comfortably? I put a Vintage Air Compac unit in my '53. Along with keeping my son from broiling, it eliminated the Billy Bob full-body sweat stain during the spring/summer/fall months.
I was thinking the same thing yesterday. I think I'm adding the fixing of the old A/C system on the '66 to the list. I sure don't feel like paying for it, but the F100 could probably use it too. Hell, it could use a heater.
Oh maaaan if you put an A/C in your car we can never be friends or even aknowlege each other. I'll have to drive on the toher side of the road or even the state whenever youare around. Shaaaaaame on you for even thinking of such a thing. I got a heater in my '65 Chebby, they were still optional that year (or maybe it was no heater that was optional) so does that make me a high roller? it gets cold here on the winter. It don't work very good so I guess I'm OK. Vintage iar probably makes something that will work just fine or there is another company called Hot rod Air (I think) that makes a pretty good unit.
All kidding aside, an A/C unit is a survival device. There are places where you can't make it without it. My personal bests with the roadster are 16 degrees F. in winter, a coupla months back and 109 degrees F. in Las Vegas in August. Neither trip was too long, the LV run was a 30 mile round tripper and livable, but if you'd been hung up in traffic it woulda been bad. (I was gonna say not so cool, but that would be obvious.) It did get to 112 degrees here last summer and 122 on the river, but the roadster stays home at times like that. And fwiw, I did leave space for an A/C compressor on the left side of the engine. I've seen a coupla roadsters with them and have given some thought to engineering one into my 31 roadster. I left space for a compressor on it as well. Geez, walking out of a - right down the hill - Laughlin casino at dusk the 115 degree temp felt like you'd walked into a wall. Not too get too far off tangent, that same day, we walked down the river walk a few hundred yards in the 118 degree sunshine and ran into a little old lady who was obviously suffering. When I asked if I could help, she said, "Just point me to the nearest cold beer and I'll be just fine thank you." Kinda made my day....
Well, call me a "chainer" all you want. I drive my stuff year round. I've got Vintage Air in my stuff, and it's gonna go in my 47 before it goes on the road, too. I love the systems they have, and I like drivin' 6 - 8 hours to an event and being comfortable when I get there.
I don't get it...no offense to you guys, if I lived in the southwest I'd be running A/C too. But A/C is a pretty new invention...didn't people farm/work outside all day in the heat not too long ago? As long as everyone is stinky and sweaty, it's cool
Those under dash POS units didn't work worth a shit in the sixties and I don't know why anyone would want one except your grandmother. They were anything but "cool" .
Does someone have an Austrailian to English conversion guide? I can't make anything out that this kiwi said.
Uhhh... BULLSHIT! it's a quality product that does the job for a decent price... Better than the rest... You'll spend more trying to make some second rate shit work... and it'll be ugly.. get a clue.... and Southern Air or whatever their name is sucks.... really sucks.... Bring your ass for a NC summer... You'll be begging for A/C... hot is hot, but damn add 90% humidity and A/C is a must....
Our 28 ford highboy will have Vintage Air. It is not a coincidence they are from Texas. They have been putting air in hotrods for over 30 years. Weren't any gold-chainers involved back then, just guys who wanted to drive em year round.
Yea, so new it took till 1939 for Packard to come out with AC in their woody station wagons. It was out there and I'm sure as many people used it in hotrods as drove rusty unpainted cars channelled to within an inch of the ground. I think; HOTRODS should have nothing on them that doesn't make them go, stop, and handle to the best current technology and the builder's prowess and budget can assemble. (Yes, I said assemble. Scratch built makes it a one-off RACECAR, not just a HOTROD.) CUSTOMS should have every comfort feature known to man in them because they are supposed to be a rolling den of iniquity. ANY HOTROD that has a license plate and is driven on the STREET is also a STREETROD and if you expect anyone besides yourself and your smelly sheepherder boytoy to ENJOY riding with you in a hot/humid climate, put AC in it.
I gotta agree with the doctor here. Just incase you didn't understand my sarcasm earlier. There no doubt have been some improvements over the years but to not put an A/C unit in an old ranchero because someone might think you are a highroller is just dumb. Hell Ford had optional A/C back then. And contrary to popular belief I've had more than one under dash unit that worked real well. So if you have to won something that doesn't remind you of the high zoot crowd snag one and go after it. If you scrounge around just a little you can probably even find one that says FORD on it. Well I don't totally agree with the Doc I guess, we never made a distinction between Hot Rods and race cars. We always called the race cars hot rods in our family.
I gotta say though, Doc's comment about what a custom's supposed to be is the best description of a custom I ever saw. They could be dangerous for the young ladies. Moreso when parked rather than driving....
yup, just driving back from Viva in the rental car at high speeds meant my windows were up but the sun was blazing, and I had to turn the AC on to stay safe- I was getting flush and about to pass out. If that makes me a gold chainer, then.................
oh come on, I'd put that on just for the bizarre looks you get! Thgose are pretty cool and actually work, if you don't mind the visual obstruction
REAL hot rodders let their sweaty balls hang through the holes in the floorboard when it's hot! "Hey Paulie, I think you've got a leaky somethin' or other under the seat!" "Naw, just my junk sweatin'!"
Best A/C I ever had was stock underdash unit out of 62 merc monterey. Find a ford or mercury system in the yard if you can. Shouldn't be too bad since you may already have knockouts on firewall, etc. Some new hoses and a drier you'll be good to go. Probably need a parka in your ranchero tho.
Indeed...and who gives a shit...are you more comfortable with AC and don't want to die from heat stroke, get it and enjoy it. If someone feels the need to bust your balls over it, hit them with a tack hammer in the left knee...
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